Sister2Sister from Celeste
Does not wisdom call,
and understanding lift up her voice?
~ Proverbs 8:1
Good morning beloved sister!
My eyes see a cold, wintry day here from my “sunrise” chair, but my thoughts are still far away in warm, hospitable India. I’ve heard India described as ‘a land of contrasts’ and, indeed it is, but as I think about it at this moment, I’m contrasting my ‘inner life’ here at home with the ‘inner life’ I experienced there.
At home, as it is with many in our culture, my life is organized around a calendar and many daily routines. Often I have a ‘to do’ list to help me stay focused on the day’s activities. My rate of success is measured by the clock and how much I accomplish in that timeframe.
I had a good laugh reading a description of India in a travel article after we returned home. It said, “Europeans have a clock, India has time”. That’s so true! While ministering there, us ‘organized’ westerners would have a scheduled time for worship, prayers, talks, tea or dinner. Ha! There didn’t ever seem to be a concrete beginning or ending of any event!
Worship began when a lone guy started strumming a guitar, as if calling to the flock, and then just kept worshipping until the room was full! And, well, if ministering went a little long, nobody seemed to notice. In fact, church wasn’t finished until every prayer request was addressed (loudly and exuberantly!)
Often people were traveling from long distances to gather together, so as long as they made it on the right day, everything continued as planned. And the services not only ministered to the spirit, but to the physical body as well. I mentioned tea… there was often a break either between preaching at the conferences or after a worship service for tea and a little snack. For the honored guests (sometimes us, sometimes we were hosting), there would be a feast of a meal. No one went home hungry. India has time!
It made me think of the contrast of our lifestyle here. We get annoyed if a church service starts late or goes on too long. We always seem to have something else to do or somewhere else to go. Or maybe we’re hungry and want to go home to eat. (that’s usually my motivation)
So, that’s why I’m thinking of today’s verse, “Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice?” Does anyone hear her call? Do we listen to that voice of understanding? In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is calling out to the sons of God to not be deceived by the lust of the harlot. But, men or women, we’re all human beings, so what if we sisters think of the verse like this; My child, does not wisdom call? And what if we think of the voice of the ‘harlot’, as anything that tries to seduce us away from our attention or devotion to God? The harlot is also a thief, stealing the time we have to spend with our Father.
One of the many things I learned in India is to dwell ‘in the moment’, step by step with the Lord. Perhaps it was easier there because often I had no idea what to expect or what to say or do. I depended much more on the Lord rather than my own capability. But rather than it being exhausting, it was exhilarating! It was liberating! Yes, I had responsibilities and purposes, but instead of trying to follow God’s path my way. I let Him lead me and the fruits of His spirit outshined all my thoughts, plans and answers. Obliterated them, in fact.
It is a constant temptation in our culture to squeeze a little bit more in, to be more efficient, to get ‘really serious’ about some goal, to be a slave to our own timeline. But keep in mind, dear sister, this is the voice of the harlot, not your Abba, speaking to you!!
Why not put all those temptations aside, quiet yourself for a few minutes, and listen. Do you hear the call of Wisdom? Has Understanding lifted up her voice? You will know her voice when she speaks noble things, her mouth will utter truth (Prov.8:6&7) and God’s Spirit within you will recognize that truth! You will hunger more for that truth, that closeness with God! And, before you know it, you will begin spending time in wisdom and understanding of God’s plan for you, His precious child!!
Our eternal God has gifted us time to come to know Him, to enjoy Him, to tell others about Him.
Ask Him to tell you His plans for your day, they are plans for your good!
Your Father has given you time, not a clock. Bless His Holy Name!